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ELIZABETH MACONCHY

(1907-1994)

The Sofa

39:01

Comic Opera in One Act

Libretto by Ursula Vaughan Williams

Freely adapted from Le Sofa by Crébillon fils

1.

'Ah, my sweet consolation!'

2:14

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Dominic, Monique

2.

'How light the grace, the delicate twist'

3:07

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Dominic, Monique

3.

'Dominic, Casimir, Marie-Joseph, St Just, Balthasar'

2:29

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Grandmother

4.

'This time my patience cannot still endure'

4:36

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Grandmother, Dominic

5.

'My mother says all girls grow sad and languish for love'

4:14

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Lucille, Yolande, Laura, Two Young Men

6.

'Lucille. Ah, Lucille?'

3:24

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Suitor, Lucille, Sofa (Dominic)

7.

'Ha, ha, ha! Where's Dominic?…'

4:38

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Ensemble, Guests, Sofa (Dominic)

8.

'Come and dance!'

6:01

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Ensemble, Edward, Monique, Dominic

9.

'What's happened? What's happened! Has anything happened?'

1:55

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Emsemble, Dominic, Edward

10.

'Oh. what an intriguing, fascinating situation!'

3:05

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Ensemble, Edward, Lucille, Laura, Yolande, Dominic, Monique

11.

'Have they all gone'

3:15

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Dominic, Monique

Solo: Nicholas Sharratt tenor - Prince Dominic

Solo: Sarah Tynan soprano - Monique

Solo: Josephine Thorpe mezzo-soprano - Dominic's Grandmother

Solo: Alinka Kozari soprano - Lucille

Solo: Anna Leese soprano - Laura

Solo: Patricia Orr mezzo-soprano - Yolande

Solo: Patrick Ashcroft tenor - A Suitor

Solo: George von Boden baritone - Edward

premiere recording

The Departure

31:00

Libretto by Anne Ridler

12.

'I shall never be ready in time'

3:20

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Julia, Ensemble

13.

'Weightless beyond the burning margin of our air'

5:03

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Julia, Ensemble

14.

'But what has happened?'

3:41

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Julia

15.

'Julia, are you trying to speak to me?'

2:53

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Mark, Julia, Ensemble

16.

'Where is that Death they paint…'

0:47

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Julia, Ensemble

17.

'Oh, why did we leave the house that day?'

1:33

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Mark, Julia

18.

'Don't leave me!'

1:39

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Mark, Julia

19.

'But our child lives still'

2:09

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Mark, Julia

20.

'Then do not leave me'

6:14

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Mark, Julia, Ensemble

21.

'But I hear nothing! Not a voice, not a word'

3:36

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Mark, Julia, Ensemble

Solo: Louise Poole mezzo-soprano - Julia

Solo: Hakan Vramsmo baritone - Mark

Orchestra: Independent Opera Orchestra

Conductor: Dominic Wheeler

23 November (The Departure) and 24 & 25 November (The Sofa) 2007

Why not buy the whole Album?

Your selections total more than the whole disc price.

ELIZABETH MACONCHY

(1907-1994)

The Sofa

39:01

Comic Opera in One Act

Libretto by Ursula Vaughan Williams

Freely adapted from Le Sofa by Crébillon fils

1.

'Ah, my sweet consolation!'

2:14

Dominic, Monique

2.

'How light the grace, the delicate twist'

3:07

Dominic, Monique

3.

'Dominic, Casimir, Marie-Joseph, St Just, Balthasar'

2:29

Grandmother

4.

'This time my patience cannot still endure'

4:36

Grandmother, Dominic

5.

'My mother says all girls grow sad and languish for love'

4:14

Lucille, Yolande, Laura, Two Young Men

6.

'Lucille. Ah, Lucille?'

3:24

Suitor, Lucille, Sofa (Dominic)

7.

'Ha, ha, ha! Where's Dominic?…'

4:38

Ensemble, Guests, Sofa (Dominic)

8.

'Come and dance!'

6:01

Ensemble, Edward, Monique, Dominic

9.

'What's happened? What's happened! Has anything happened?'

1:55

Emsemble, Dominic, Edward

10.

'Oh. what an intriguing, fascinating situation!'

3:05

Ensemble, Edward, Lucille, Laura, Yolande, Dominic, Monique

11.

'Have they all gone'

3:15

Dominic, Monique

Solo: Nicholas Sharratt tenor - Prince Dominic

Solo: Sarah Tynan soprano - Monique

Solo: Josephine Thorpe mezzo-soprano - Dominic's Grandmother

Solo: Alinka Kozari soprano - Lucille

Solo: Anna Leese soprano - Laura

Solo: Patricia Orr mezzo-soprano - Yolande

Solo: Patrick Ashcroft tenor - A Suitor

Solo: George von Boden baritone - Edward

premiere recording

The Departure

31:00

Libretto by Anne Ridler

12.

'I shall never be ready in time'

3:20

Julia, Ensemble

13.

'Weightless beyond the burning margin of our air'

5:03

Julia, Ensemble

14.

'But what has happened?'

3:41

Julia

15.

'Julia, are you trying to speak to me?'

2:53

Mark, Julia, Ensemble

16.

'Where is that Death they paint…'

0:47

Julia, Ensemble

17.

'Oh, why did we leave the house that day?'

1:33

Mark, Julia

18.

'Don't leave me!'

1:39

Mark, Julia

19.

'But our child lives still'

2:09

Mark, Julia

20.

'Then do not leave me'

6:14

Mark, Julia, Ensemble

21.

'But I hear nothing! Not a voice, not a word'

3:36

Mark, Julia, Ensemble

Solo: Louise Poole mezzo-soprano - Julia

Solo: Hakan Vramsmo baritone - Mark

Orchestra: Independent Opera Orchestra

Conductor: Dominic Wheeler

23 November (The Departure) and 24 & 25 November (The Sofa) 2007

Notes

MACONCHY: THE SOFA / THE DEPARTURE

These two one-act operas by the English composer Elizabeth Maconchy were performed by Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells in 2007. Nobody could have predicted that this double-bill of unknown operas would cause such a stir, but they proved a highlight on the London performance scene. Geoffrey Norris of The Daily Telegraph commented, ‘These two productions showed the bold Independent Opera at its best, with conductor Dominic Wheeler and a compact instrumental group wholly at one with the cast and with the contrasting moods that the operas evoke’. Maconchy studied with Vaughan Williams but eschewed English pastoralism for the sophisticated modernism of Central Europe embodied by the music of Janácek and Bartók. The Sofa is a light-hearted work on a libretto that was adapted by Ursula Vaughan Williams from an eighteenth-century French source. The Departure, by contrast, is an unsettling piece, a tender psychological exploration of bereavement.

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Reviews

Both operas receive performances that any composer would die for. The casts are first-rate, and the orchestra is excellent. Dominic Wheeler’s direction is flexible and deeply compelling.
Arlo McKinnon

operanews.com

More reviews from the 2007 production:

The outstanding performance came from Louise Poole in The Departure: this is a voice you’d be glad to hear in a bigger theatre…

Financial Times

If Independent Opera, the vigorous young company that staged this, carries on in this vein – inventive staging, outstanding musical performance, good-looking ensemble cast – it’s in serious danger of giving opera a fashionable name…

Evening Standard

My first reaction, on seeing Independent Opera’s double bill of operas by Elizabeth Maconchy, was “why have I not seen these operas before”, and my second was “when can I see them again”

Music and Vision

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About Chandos

Chandos Records is one of the world's premier classical music record companies, best known for its ground breaking search for neglected musical gems. The company has pioneered the idea of the 'series' and proudly includes series of such composers as Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Parry, Walton, Grainger, Berkeley and Bridge. Renowned for its superb sound quality, Chandos has won many prestigious awards for its natural sound.